Find your place in English Studies

Learn more about how an English major, minor, or specialization can help you reach your goals. Find your place in our community!
Why major in English? Here's what our students say.

"English classes offer so much room for discussion and critical thought, and when I joined the English major, I immediately felt that. I felt like my voice was heard, and that I was more than just a number."

—Warren Charleston, UMass English 2019
Launch your writing career!

Tap into our network of alumni mentors for career advice. Learn how to frame your writing skills for prospective employers!
Attend the 2019 Troy Lecture

On October 3rd, 2019 at 4:30PM, join us in hosting Natasha Trethewey for this year's annual Troy Lecture! Trethewey is a Pulitzer Prize-winner, two-time U.S. Poet Laureate, and alumna of the MFA for Poets and Writers here at UMass Amherst.

'English Literary Renaissance' Celebrates 50 Years, Announces New Editorial Leadership

January 27, 2020

English Literary Renaissance, a widely-respected journal founded at the University of Massachusetts Amherst by Professor Arthur F. Kinney and other faculty members, celebrates its 50th anniversary with a special issue published this January by the University of Chicago Press. The issue contains 22 essays on “The State of Renaissance Studies” by leading scholars whose work has previously appeared in the journal, along with a history of ELR written by Professor Kinney.

Five College Native American and Indigenous Studies Program Awarded $2.5M Grant

January 26, 2020

The Five College Native American and Indigenous Studies Program has been awarded a $2.5M grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. ...

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Events

Jan

Department Meeting

4:00 pm

Feb

Last day to add or drop any class with no record - Undergraduate, Graduate, Stockbridge, UWW (CPE)

11:59 pm

Feb

Arts and Humanities Internship Fair

Fine Arts Center Atrium
11:30 am to 2:30 pm

Feb

Five College Renaissance Seminar Event: “Faculty Work in Progress"

650 East Pleasant St. Amherst
4:30 pm to 6:30 pm

More Events »

Alumni Profile

Veronique Lee '11

The ability to analyze, understand, and synthesize text is important [in a job like mine]. You get this from essentially every English course you take. Good writing skills are equally important, and English courses that focus on writing (language, composition, rhetoric) equip you with the writing skills to succeed in “the real world.”

Continue reading about Veronique Lee

Find your place in English Studies Learn more about how an English major, minor, or specialization can help you reach your goals. Find your place in our community!

Launch your writing career! Tap into our network of alumni mentors for career advice. Learn how to frame your writing skills for prospective employers!

Attend the 2019 Troy Lecture On October 3rd, 2019 at 4:30PM, join us in hosting Natasha Trethewey for this year's annual Troy Lecture! Trethewey is a Pulitzer Prize-winner, two-time U.S. Poet Laureate, and alumna of the MFA for Poets and Writers here at UMass Amherst.